How Cary Grant Became “Cary Grant”: Commentary on The Awful Truth (1937 film)

Film Society of Screwball Comedy (FSOSC.org) founders Edward Schroeder & Aliece Pickett discuss The Awful Truth (1937) and director Leo McCarey’s influence on Cary Grant perfecting his film persona; the film’s satire on wealth, use of the screwball element “comedy of remarriage” and use of 7-musical episodes for comic effect. The film co-stars Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy; production designer Lionel Banks; and costume designer Robert Kalloch.
SOURCES
“The Awful Truth: Divorce, McCarey Style”, by Molly Haskell Criterion Essay, 2018)
Cary Grant, A Brilliant Disguise, by Scott Eyman (Simon & Schuster 2020)
Cary Grant, A Celebration, by Richard Schickel (Little, Brown 1983)
Pursuits of Happiness, The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage, by Stanley Cavell (Harvard 1981)
Gary Giddins Interview (The Awful Truth, Criterion Blu-ray 2018)
“Let’s Misbehave” (1927) music and lyrics by Cole Porter, performed by Irving Aaronson and his Commanders (1928).
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